When a student is not growing, it is important to ask questions instead of making conclusions. Is the test score consistent with the teacher’s observations of the student’s academic progress? Another possibility is that the student did grow, but that their growth was within the error range of the test. This possibility is discussed in detail in the previously-linked blog post. It is also possible that the student was not fully engaged in the test. See our blog post Student Effort and Test Score Accuracy for more information.

We have a suggested student instruction script that your proctors can read to prepare students for the test. Contact your Account Manager here at NWEA for some more recommendations on best practices for testing.